Atlesian Rhapsody
by Krionik
Summary: Even the smallest encounter, seemingly minor in scale, can have massive consequences in the long run. For Ruby, this encounter was a meeting with James Ironwood, General of Atlas and Headmaster of Alsius Academy. From that moment forwards Ruby knew. She would go to Alsius, no matter the consequences.
1. Chapter One

**AN: Well, hopefully this goes better than my other fics. The plan will be to update biweekly, so I should be able to keep myself from falling behind. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

Ruby sat in the interrogation room of a police station, barely holding back her tears as she held an ice pack to her head. How could her day have gone so wrong? Somehow, someway, a simple visit to the Museum of the Vale for her summer homework had spiraled out of control into the worst day of her admittedly short life. "I bet this is Yang's fault," Ruby muttered, kicking at the floor with her feet as she waited for something, anything to happen. All that she had wanted was to take some pictures for her slideshow, it wasn't her fault that she had chosen to visit the museum on the same day that Roman Torchwick did! She had dispatched the goons that the man had tasked with guarding the captive staff with ease, allowing them to escape and contact the authorities. "If I'd just stopped there," Ruby whispered miserably, "If I'd just stopped there, everything would be fine now. But no," she continued, her voice rising in volume as she grew more frustrated with herself. "I just had to try to take on Roman himself! Of course I couldn't let the police do their job! That would just make too much sense!" Growling, Ruby continued her solitary rant as she grew more and more animated, her free hand gesturing in the air. "And now what? Now I probably have a concussion," Ruby tightened her grip on the ice pack, her eyes narrowing. "My cape's in tatters!" Ruby's eyes, brimming with unshed tears, fell upon the ripped remains of her cape. The garment, the gift her mother had bought years in advance, was mangled beyond recognition, numerous gashes cutting through the thick red fabric. "And worst of all," Ruby's voice quivered, a single tear running down her cheek as she spoke. "My sweetheart is broken!" Ruby glared balefully at the corner of the room, where Crescent Rose lay propped up against the wall, refusing to shift back to its compact form. "It's just not fair!" Ruby shouted to the empty room, slamming her hand down onto the table only to wince as the impact seemed to travel up her arm and into her head.

A soft chuckle emanated throughout the room, and Ruby's head instantly snapped up, seeing that a man had entered the room while she was ranting. Her face reddening in embarrassment, Ruby began to stammer out a fearful apology, instantly recognizing the figure in front of her. The cane at his side, the crooked glasses, and the sleek gray hair combined to create the image of a truly iconic man, Professor Ozpin. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Continuing to make apology after apology, Ruby watched as the man calmly walked over to the table Ruby sat at, pulling out a chair and sitting down. With a warm smile on his face, Ozpin simply held up his hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Rose, I'm not here to punish you. It would be rather silly of me to punish a huntress for doing her job, don't you think?" Still nervous, Ruby simply nodded rather than risk running her mouth. "As a matter of fact, I'm here to commend you," the man said, sliding a small folder over to her. "The Council of the Vale has assured me that all damages caused by your fight with Torchwick will be covered by the city. Here is the documentation confirming that, as well as a commendation signed by each member of the council, in case you're interested in that sort of thing." As Ruby tentatively pulled out the paper from within the folder, the tension in her shoulders disappeared and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So," she started, looking into Ozpin's eyes. "I'm not in trouble?" The man chuckled lightly again, shaking his head.

"No, you aren't. As a matter of fact," Ozpin leaned forward, "you've managed to impress some very important people, myself included. You should be proud of yourself." As a shaky smile graced Ruby's face, Ozpin looked down at a watch, sighing. "Me and my colleague are both interested in making an offer to you. He should be arriving right about…" Ozpin paused, taking a sip from his cup. "Now." With that, the door swung open, revealing another man. Much like Ozpin, he cut an unmistakable figure to any aspiring Huntress. With his crisp dress uniform, holstered revolver, and metallic brow, General Ironwood's appearance was every bit as iconic as Ozpin's.

Softly shutting the door, Ironwood turned to both Ozpin and Ruby with a smile on his face. "Hello Mrs. Rose, Ozpin. Sorry for the delay, got stuck in a call with the council." Walking over to the table, Ironwood extended a hand towards Ruby, speaking with a warm tone that belied his disciplined appearance. "Mrs. Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you." As Ruby took his hand and shook it, the man turned to Ozpin. "I take it that you've already informed her of the offers?"

The Beacon Headmaster assumed an expression of mock-offense, placing a hand on his chest. "James," he said, humor evident in his tone, "Do you really think that low of me? That I'd undercut you in such a way?"

"Yes," Ironwood stated simply, staring flatly at Ozpin. After several seconds, his face broke into a grin, and the pair chuckled softly. "It really has been far too long Oz. Next time I come to Vale, we need to take some time to go out on the town. Get the old group back together."

"Well," Ozpin said, concealing his smile with his mug. "I'm not quite sure that Glynda would agree with that sentiment, but it certainly would be a good time. I know that Port and Oobleck would enjoy themselves. Maybe you could bring Slate and Brassica along?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ironwood replied, "However, I'm sure that Mrs. Rose is rather curious as to what these 'offers' are. To put it quite simply Mrs. Rose, both Ozpin and I are willing to offer you some rather extraordinary opportunities. More specifically, we're offering a scholarship to either Beacon or Atlas Academy. A full-ride too, all expenses covered."

Eyes widening, Ruby's mouth opened and closed several times, before she took a deep breath and spoke. "R-really? S-so after I finish at Signal, I'll be able to-"

Cutting her off with mirth in his tone, Ironwood's answer was simple. "No. I am offering you a place at Atlas Academy this semester, starting next month." As Ruby's mouth dropped open once again, Ozpin sighed.

"Unfortunately," he said, his tone tinged with disappointment and frustration, "I will not be able to offer you the same opportunity at Beacon. The Council is concerned about what message we would send by allowing someone, even if that someone is a prodigy, to enter Beacon before at least completing their primary schooling first. The best that I can do is provide an advanced curriculum for your last two years at Signal, followed by guaranteed enrollment at Beacon. Try as I might, the Council won't budge on this." Looking at his watch, Ozpin sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't have much time." Finishing off what was left of his cocoa, the man stood up, brushing off his coat. "You did very well tonight Mrs. Rose, I look forward to seeing what you will accomplish in the future. I will arrange for a bullhead to fly you back to Patch. I'll be sending further details of the offer to your father so you can review them." Turning to Ironwood, Ozpin spoke again, a wry tone entering his voice once again. "And James, keep this fair, you hear? No bribing the girl while I'm not looking." With that, the silver-haired man chuckled and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Shaking his head as he smiled, Ironwood took a sip of the plastic water cup he held in his hands, before turning his attention back to Ruby. "So," he said, "I'm guessing that you're wondering why you would be rewarded for your actions? What you did that warranted this?"

Blushing, Ruby nodded. "Well, yeah," she said, mumbling before clearing her throat and speaking up. "I mean, what did I do? I lost my fight with Torchwick. And I didn't just lose it, I lost it. My aura was depleted, my weapon was broken, and I don't think that I even scratched him! Meanwhile, he stole the painting he was after, and got away without being caught!" Looking to Ironwood, Ruby furrowed her brows. "I don't see how any of that is impressive!"

Sighing, Ironwood pushed out his chair and rose to his feet. Walking around to Ruby's side of the table, he pulled out his scroll and enlarged it, before setting it in front of Ruby. Sitting on the table, Ironwood pressed the play button, and a video of Ruby's fight with Roman began to play. As the Ruby on the screen launched a flurry of vicious attacks against Roman, Crescent Rose swinging from every direction, Ironwood began to speak. "This is what Ozpin sees. He sees just how good you could be at combat. Roman is a fully trained huntsman. He has consistently beaten back each and every attempt by the police to apprehend him. Even when faced with full teams of aura-wielders, Roman has still managed to escape. Meanwhile, Ozpin sees Ruby Rose, still just a Third Year at Signal, managing to hold her own against him. Even though you lost in the end, Ozpin sees that you held your own." As if on queue, the Ruby in the video overextended, allowing Roman to pummel her with his cane, knocking her back into a display case. With the glass case behind her shattered, Roman slammed his cane into the ground, sending it flying into Ruby's face. As Roman walked forward confidently, his cane falling into his waiting hands, Ironwood paused the video and picked up the scroll.

Adjusting the time of the video, Ironwood set it in front of her again. As Ironwood pressed play, the video showed Ruby leaning against a folded Crescent Rose for support as Roman sauntered towards her. Recognizing exactly what the video was showing, Ruby winced. Turning up the volume, Ironwood simply remained silent as the video played, Roman's confident voice echoing in the small room. "We can all be civil here," the man said, twirling his cane around his finger before letting it rest on his shoulder. "You see, Red, I've spent my entire career building up this whole 'Gentleman Thief' persona. If I were to kill a brat like you, well, I could kiss the image I've built up over the past decade goodbye! And so, it's your lucky day Red! You get one, count it up, one chance to turn around and leave this museum, with nothing more than a few bruises to your body and your ego. After that, I'll get a bit more… forceful, let's say. So, Red, whaddya sa-" As Torchwick gestured wildly with his cane, the Ruby in the video launched herself at him, growling as she made swing after swing at the man, who simply rolled his eyes and went back on the defense, using his much more nimble weapon to parry her strikes with ease, delivering the occasional riposte. Pausing the video, Ironwood compressed the scroll and returned it to his breast pocket. "That, Mrs. Rose, is what I see in you. Ozpin sees what you could be. I see what you are. You are a huntress in spirit, if not skill. You were given a chance to escape a fight that you knew had no chance of winning, and yet you decided to stay. That is exactly what a huntress should do. Identify a problem, come up with a plan, and take action. Anyone who is trained in combat is entirely capable of fighting, yet not all will do so. You have the spirit, Mrs. Rose. Atlas Academy can give you the skills of one. It would not be easy. Atlas is very different from Beacon, and even more so from Signal. And yet," Ironwood said, locking eyes with Ruby, "what is easy, in the life of a huntress?" Suddenly, Ironwood's scroll chimed and he looked down at it before pushing himself off the table with a sigh.

"Well, Mrs. Rose, it seems as though your ride has arrived. I'll send more details about my offer to your scroll so you can look them over with your family. Unless you have any questions, you're free to go." Walking over to the wall where Crescent Rose lay, Ironwood picked it up and offered it to Ruby, who took the malfunctioning weapon with a polite "Thank you," before retrieving the packet Ozpin had given her, walking towards the door. As she reached the frame however, she paused, looking back to where Ironwood stood, pushing in the chairs that he and Ozpin had sat in.

"I want to go to your school!" Ruby suddenly blurted out, surprising even herself. It hadn't been a conscious decision, and even as the words left her mouth her ears began to redden, her gaze dropping to the ground. As she felt Ironwood's curious gaze, she steeled herself and raised her head, looking at the man in the eyes. "I want to go to Atlas Academy."

"Well," Ironwood said slowly, nodding to himself, "I'd still suggest that you talk it over with your family first. This is a big decision and not something that should be made on a whim. Think about it for a few days, and if your answer is still the same, I'll get you on the first flight to Atlas. For now, though, you should return to your family. I'm sure that they're anxious to see you." Nodding a silent thanks, Ruby left the room, following a waiting police officer to where the Bullhead sat. Stepping into the aircraft, Ruby made her way over to one of the seats and strapped herself in, the events of the day finally catching up to her as she was hit with a wave of fatigue. As her eyelids began to lose their struggle to remain open, she whispered to herself with a newfound resolve. "I'm going to Atlas Academy." As the words left her mouth, it felt like an enormous weight was lifted from her shoulders, and she heaved a sigh of relief, her head slowly drifting down. "I guess that today wasn't that bad after all," Ruby murmured, yawning as she finally surrendered to the fatigue, drifting off to sleep with a contented smile on her face.


	2. Chapter Two

Ruby pushed herself up with a groan, leaning against the back of her bed as she rubbed her the fatigue from her eyes. As she slid to the edge of the bed, she turned from one side, then to the other, groaning as a series of cracks rang out from her back, releasing the tension she hadn't even realised was there. Her muscles still throbbed dully, and as she stood up to put on her slippers, her knees buckled and she was forced to catch herself on her dresser. Ruby grabbed her scroll from her nightstand and powered it on. Squinting at the bright screen, Ruby could see two messages that had been flagged as priority, one from the Beacon Board of Admission, and one from General Ironwood. Turning the phone back off, Ruby slowly walked to the door, still unsteady even as she exited her room.

Softly shutting the door to her room behind her, Ruby took a moment to stretch before walking over to the stairwell. Hearing the soft hum of conversation coming from the dining room as she descended, Ruby entered the room, looking around as she did so. Her uncle, with his signature flask, sat with his feet propped up on the table as he talked quietly with Yang. Meanwhile, her dad was standing at the oven, cooking bacon with Zwei staring up expectantly at him. Walking over to her seat, Ruby practically collapsed into it as the buzz of conversation around her suddenly hushed. Staring blearily at the assembled family members, Ruby barely managed to mumble out a fatigued "Good morning," before Yang and Zwei rushed over to her. Ruby squawked in surprise as the former wrapped her in a hug, while the latter simply yipped as he ran in circles around her feet.

"You're up!" Yang exclaimed, letting Ruby free from her death grip. "I was so worried! How are you feeling?"

Swatting halfheartedly At her sister, Ruby let her head fall to the table as she let out another groan. "It feels like I'll never move again. My muscles feel like, well, like they aren't there." Ruby lifted her arm and let it flop down onto the table for emphasis.

Chuckling, her dad heaped a massive serving of bacon, eggs, and potatoes onto a plate, setting it down in front of her. "Aura exhaustion's no joke Rubes," he said as he went to fetch her a bottle of ketchup. "Your Aura was completely depleted last night, it's gonna take a while to recover."

"Hey there kiddo," Qrow rasped as Ruby began to ravenously dig into her meal. "I heard about what happened, and since I was in town, I figured that I'd drop in."

"Actually," her dad said, setting the ketchup down next to Ruby as she quickly thanked him before using it to douse her potatoes. "Qrow _wasn't_ in town. He was out on a contract. The second he heard what happened he called in a favor and rushed back." Breaking into laughter, Ruby almost choked on her potatoes as Qrow spun towards Tai.

"Hey!" he said, pointing a finger at the blonde, "Watch it!" Qrow slicked back his hair, putting his flask back in his pocket. "You're gonna mess up my 'cool uncle' vibe." Tai simply rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

"Trust me, you don't need me to do that."

As the two men continued to bicker, Yang turned back to Ruby, propping her head up with her elbows. "So, Rubes," the blonde said, nabbing a piece of bacon from Ruby's plate before she could protest. "You fought Torchwick, right?" Ruby nodded, slapping away Yang's hand as she tried to steal another piece of bacon. "Pretty impressive sis. I heard you met Ozpin?"

Ruby swallowed one last mouthful of eggs before setting down her fork and responding. "Well, yeah," Ruby said, her ears reddening slightly. "I got to meet him. It was only for a few minutes though, he seemed super busy."

"Well," Yang said, ruffling her younger sister's hair, "that's more than I've met with him, and I'm the one that's been accepted into Beacon! I've got to say, I'm kinda jealous!" As Ruby's ears reddened further, Yang simply winked and broke into laughter. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding. Besides, from what dad told me, you've practically been accepted yourself! I mean, sure, it'll be two years before you can actually attend, but after that we'll have a good four or five years at Beacon together!" Finishing her statement, Yang out her fist out and Ruby hesitantly bumped it, before rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. Before she could say anything though, her father spoke up, fixing Yang with a disapproving state.

"Yang, we've talked about this," Tai said, pinching at the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "You can't try to make Ruby's decision for her. There's still the offer from Ironwood, she might take that. Don't try to guilt her into going to Beacon just because you're going there." Yang stares at her dad for a few seconds before her eyes lit up in understanding and her ears reddened.

"Brothers, that's not what I meant to do… I was just assuming…" Seeing her dad open his mouth again, Yang quickly cut off what she knew was coming. "Yes, I know, it makes an ass out of you and me, you don't need to remind me dad." Turning towards Ruby, Yang put her hand atop her sister's shoulder. "Rubes, I swear, that's not what I was trying to do. You know me, I just sometimes get too excited and talk without thinking. I just… I just thought it was a safe assumption. I mean, you've always dreamt of going to Beacon, and everything about Atlas is just… Cold. The weather, the people, _everything_. It's the opposite of you and I just…" As her father fixed her with a warning glare, Yang sighed again, looking her sister in the eyes. "I'm sorry sis."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said, wrapping her sister in a hug. "I know that you were just trying to help." As she pulled away her smile faded ever so slightly, and she looked back towards her now empty plate. "And, I'd already made my decision anyway. I want to go to Atlas." Hearing a sharp inhale from Yang and a sigh from Qrow, Ruby hastened to continue. "I just, General Ironwood was so much more…" Ruby huffed as she tried to think of the right word. "He was so much more open, I guess, than Ozpin. Ozpin didn't say anything about why he would want me at Beacon, despite the fact that I completely botched my fight with Torchwick. Meanwhile, with Ironwood, he took the time to let me know why he wanted me. I just.." Ruby trailed off with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm supposed to go to Atlas."

Before Yang could even open her mouth, Qrow began to speak, seeming to hesitate on each word. "Kiddo, you know that I wouldn't try to hold you back from making your own decisions, but attending Alsius wouldn't be like anything you've done before. Even amongst the other academies, they're the oddball. I mean, they're practically a military academy, are you prepared for that kind of discipline?"

"I was in the Girl Scouts when I was younger!" Ruby said defensively.

"Yes, you were," Qrow deadpanned. "You were also expelled from the Girl Scouts when you were younger for running off on your own in the middle of a camping trip outside of the city, after being explicitly told not to." As Ruby flushed and began to sputter out an excuse Yang opened her mouth, only to be cut off yet again, this time by her father, who stood glaring at Qrow.

"Qrow, that's quite enough. I know you have no love for the General, but we both know that Ruby inherited Summer's stubbornness. Once she's set her mind on something, you can't stop her. All you'll do is make her feel guilty" Qrow just shrugged and pulled out his flask, muttering a halfhearted apology. Rolling his eyes, Tai turned towards his youngest daughter, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I am so proud of you." Ruby could hear his voice quaver ever so slightly as she returned the embrace. "I just want you to know that I support you one hundred percent. For so long, you've wanted to follow in your mother's footsteps, and I love that about you. But for so long I've seen that dictate everything you do. You went to Signal because that's where Summer went. You wore your cape because that's how Summer looked. But nothing, _nothing_, could be more like her than blazing your own path. And that's what you're doing." Tai pulled back, taking a deep breath. "She would've been so proud of you."

"I…" Ruby's voice cracked, and she looked to the ground and blinked away her tears. "Thanks dad." Suddenly, her eyes widened as the full details of the previous night came back into her memory. "Dad…" she said, voice quiet. "Where's my cloak. Where's Crescent Rose."

**AN:** Welp. There's Chapter 2. Hopefully I can stay motivated to keep on working on this. I really don't want to give up on yet another story.


	3. Chapter Three

**AN:** Hey all, sorry for the wait on this one. Unfortunately, I've been having a tough time with writing, so I wasn't really able to stick to the every other week schedule like I thought I could. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace a bit, but to be honest I'm kind of kicking myself for trying to publish this fic so soon, without having finished at least the first arc. Ever other fic I've done has ended up cancelled, but I really don't want that to happen again. There is a distinct possibility that once I have written up to Ruby arriving at Atlas, the fic will switch to a collection of oneshots of her time there. I feel as though that might be the best option for this fic, given how hard I've been finding it to write anything. Anyway, once I figure it out, I'll include it in another AN. Hopefully you all enjoy the chapter, although I doubt it was worth the wait. :P

Ruby stood in the garage, tears brimming in her eyes as she stared down at a table. On that table were two of the most important things in her life, both of which were broken, battered, and practically unrecognizable. Her cloak, which her mother had bought years in advance as a gift, had been ripped to shreds. Barely half of its original size, what remained of the cloak was tattered, long slashes running down through the maroon fabric.

Beside it though, the damage to Crescent Rose was far worse. The weapon's paint had been chipped, dents both small and large littered the casing, and the rear blade extension was entirely missing, likely lost in the rubble of the museum. The worst damage though, was the hole that had been punched clean through the weapon, centered on the scythe's main rotating joint. The frayed wiring was exposed, innumerable small pieces had likely already been dislodged, and it made the primary component of her weapon entirely useless. As Ruby leaned in closer to examine the damage, she thought back to the end of her fight once again, a slight scowl on her face.

"Well, Red, this has certainly been an eventful evening, wouldn't you say?" Torchwick loomed over Ruby, who lay on the ground, motionless save for her desperate gasps for air. By now her aura had been practically entirely depleted, leaving her defenseless. As the thief looked over the small huntress-in-training, he flicked his cigar off to the side and tutted in mock disappointment. "You know, I really thought you were going to put up a bit more of a fight than that. Oh well. Neo, hold her down. It wouldn't do for her to jump me. Again."

With that, the diminutive girl that had fought at his side skipped over to Ruby, pinning her to the ground with a boot to the chest and a blade to the throat. Looking around, Roman spotted where Crescent Rose lay, picking the scythe up as though it weighed nothing. "You see Red, I gave you your chance, and you refused to take it. Unfortunately for you, I'm not in the habit of giving out second chances. Bad for business you see?" Roman's tone was familiar, friendly even, but his eyes were a different story. They were annoyed, frustrated, but not angry.

'_That's all that I am,'_ Ruby thought dejectedly. '_I wasn't a threat, I was just an annoyance. A minor obstacle in his way.'_

"However," the man said, "my image still must be maintained, so I'm in a bit of a pickle here. I can't go around killing little girls, but I can't just let you go. What ever shall I do?" Roman looked down to Ruby, her scythe still in his hands. "Red, do you have any suggestions?" As Ruby began to open her mouth, she felt the tip of Neo's sword dig ever so deeper into her throat, and she quickly shut it again. "What about you Neo?" The small girl cocked her head from side to side, not taking her eyes off of Ruby for a second.

"Eureka!" Torchwick said, snapping his fingers as though he'd had an epiphany. "I know! What's a huntress without her weapon?" Ruby's eyes widened, and she struggled to get out from under Neo. The girl merely stared down at Ruby, evidently unimpressed. Roman propped the weapon against a nearby display stand, stepping back as if to analyze it. "Hmmmm… Not really my style. I don't think I'd get much use out of it. At the same time though, I think I'd rather prefer if you didn't get much use out of it either." With that, Roman touched his hand to the scythe, and a faint orange hue seemed to sweep over it before dissipating. Pulling back with his cane, Ruby watched in shock as he seemed to focus his aura into a tiny point at the tip of the weapon. With that, he jabbed the cane into Crescent Rose, cutting through the thick metal as though it were butter.

Ruby pulled herself back to the present, shaking her head in disgust. '_I never had a chance,'_ she thought, her scowl deepening. '_If he'd done that in our fight, he could've shattered my aura in an instant. I'm only alive because he's so concerned about his darned image.'_ Ruby looked down at her weapon, examining the damage closer. It was… bad, to say the least. The cane had shattered several gears, as well as bending and breaking many of the innumerable and minuscule moving parts that enabled a mechashift weapon to function. It would take months to repair, if not longer. Keenly aware of her family's presence behind her, Ruby tentatively stretched out a hand towards her weapon and sent a spark of her aura through it.

Crescent Rose almost seemed to let out a pained groan as the gears within it spun. The blade started to retract back down before suddenly seizing and grinding to a halt, stuck halfway between scythe and gun. Taking a deep breath, Ruby turned to face her father. "The damage is definitely pretty bad. It's gonna take me a lot of time, tools, and patience to fix her." Ruby put her hands in her pockets and kicked at the ground as she averted her eyes. "And… I'm sorry, about the hood. It was mom's last gift and… I'm just sorry."

Her father simply nodded, walking over to pick up the cloth. "No, Ruby, you don't need to be sorry. Your mother got it for you knowing you planned to be a huntress, so I doubt she'd be upset with it being damaged. You're certain about wanting to go to Atlas?" Ruby nodded her head vigorously. "In that case, I'll get someone to turn what's left of this into something that might end up being a bit more useful than a cape up there."

"Um, I feel like we're overlooking something here," Yang spoke up before Ruby could even thank her father. "Ruby's weapon is broken. Kaput. If I'm not mistaken, Alsius Academy's admission day is like a whole week before Beacon's, which is only about a month away. If it only takes a week for Ruby to travel up to Atlas which, let's be honest, is pretty optimistic, that only leaves her with two weeks to try to fix Crescent Rose. She can't attend a Huntsman academy without a weapon, and two weeks isn't nearly enough time to repair that sort of damage." Yang looked to her father. "If she stays here, she'll be able to fix her weapon at Signal once the school year starts, and in a year's time she could decide on whether or not she actually wants to go to Alsius, or if it was just a spur of the moment thing."

Ruby stared at Yang, her eyes wide as though she'd been betrayed. Even as her father opened his mouth to chide Yang, Ruby beat him to the punch. "Yang. There is no better place that I could repair my weapons than a full fledged academy like Alsius. Besides, you know full well that I can hold my own with only a gun, which is one of the few things on Crescent Rose that still works by the way, or even just a spear. After all, Signal doesn't exactly have scythe courses" As Ruby spoke, she fought a losing battle to keep her voice steady. "I can detach Crescent's scythe blade, the rear spike can make a perfectly functional polearm. You know that I can do this, so why are you fighting it?"

Yang sighed, looking to her sister. "Rubes, you know that I'll always support you following your dreams-" Before Yang could finish her statement, Ruby snapped back, her voice petulant.

"Only when those dreams are the same as yours!" Ruby could feel the tears that she'd been holding back begin to fall as she glared at her sister. "When we were younger, your dream dragged me to an abandoned cottage and nearly killed me. Last month, your dream had me and dad in a police station, waiting for you to explain why you practically burned a bar to the ground. And now, your dream is trying to drag me from mine. So why-" Ruby cut off her rant as her sister wrapped her in a tight hug. Out of the corner of her eye Ruby could see Qrow standing awkwardly , staring balefully at his empty flask.

"Rubes, I - Gods, I'm so sorry." Yang let go of her sister and backed up, running a hand through her long hair. "I just, I was just trying to help. I'm…" Yang looked away, and Ruby could just barely hear her take a deep breath and compose herself. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing, I was just trying to help you," Yang babbled, seeming not to even notice that she'd repeated herself. "You know that, right? I was just trying to help, please just understand that."

"It's okay Yang," Ruby said, her voice cracking. "I understand, just, I'm so overwhelmed right now. Could you just… Let me be for now? We can talk later." With that, Yang nodded her head and mutely left the room, followed by a worried Qrow. Her father moved to follow them, before pausing at Ruby.

"I'll give you a minute," Tai said, "but make sure that you talk to her soon. She really was just trying to help, but you know how bad she is at this sort of thing." A faint smile played across his lips. "I'm just surprised that there weren't any attempts at puns, given how she usually reacts to stressful conversations." With that, her father picked up the remnants of Ruby's cape and left the garage, shutting the door as he went.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes and focused at the table in front of her. There sat her pride and joy, the weapon that she'd wielded since her entrance into Signal. Still stuck halfway between scythe and gun, Ruby switched off the weapon and pulled out a toolbox. Crescent Rose wasn't a simple weapon, and taking it apart was definitely not a simple process. Better to get started now rather than later, when she'd actually need it. As her vision grew hazy from tears once again, she blinked them away and focused on the task in front of her, narrowing her eyes. What her future held wasn't clear, but she knew full well what she was going to do. Regardless of what Yang, or Uncle Qrow, or anyone else thought, she was going to Atlas.

**AN:** Again, sorry for the wait. As much as I hate to say it though, it probably will happen again.


	4. Chapter Four

Several hours later, Ruby let out a sigh as she set down her tools and wiped the sweat from her brow. In front of her, Crescent Rose sat on the table, nearly unrecognizable as the weapon that she had fought Roman with only one day prior. The massive scythe blade was absent, sitting next to the weapon in various pieces. What remained was little more than a spear with a gun poking out of the back end. Frowning, Ruby raised her aura and ran her thumb along the small blade. When she'd designed Crescent Rose the rear spike had been little more than an afterthought, and she couldn't recall a time where it had gotten any use outside of serving as an anchor for her acrobatics. It was in desperate need of sharpening, but that would have to come later.

For the moment though she picked up the weapon, now considerably lighter, and gave it a few tentative swings. It still refused to close, and she'd have to do some minor rebalancing, but all in all it was still functional. Setting it back on the table, Ruby began the process of stripping the bulky panels from the center of the weapon, idly humming along to the radio. She'd have to forge a new shell when she got to Atlas to cover some of the components, but for now the main problem was the balance of the weapon. Crescent Rose had always been weighted towards the scythe, but now she suddenly had to rebalance it entirely to account for the main point being on the complete opposite side of the weapon. Picking up the weapon again, Ruby gave it a few more swings, her frown lessening as she nodded her head in satisfaction. This would do.

Shutting off her radio and placing what remained of her weapon on the garage table, Ruby opened the door back into the house. Walking down the short hallway and up the stairs, Ruby found herself at the door to the room that she and Yang shared. '_I've got to be strong,'_ Ruby thought resolutely. '_What would Uncle Qrow do? Wait, no nevermind, bad idea.'_ Ruby scrunched her nose at the thought. Even she knew that acting like Qrow in a situation like this wasn't really the best idea. '_So, what would Dad do in this situation?'_ Suddenly, Ruby's eyes shot open, she knew exactly how to deal with this!

Letting out a low whistle, Ruby stood patiently, waiting for Zwei to come to her rescue. Zwei always made everything better, and apologies were no exception. In less than ten seconds, this hope was crushed as she heard Zwei's bark. A bark that came from within her room. Seeming to deflate, Ruby brought her palm to her face in exasperation. Of course, her sister had already stolen the secret weapon. She would be on her own for this. Taking a deep breath, Ruby opened the door and prepared to face her sister.

Poking her head around the corner, Ruby looked into her room to see Yang sitting on her bed, playing with Zwei. The second that Ruby walked through the door though, Zwei fell to the bed with a thud and Yang rushed over to her sister. As Ruby desperately tried to think of what to say, Yang cut her off by wrapping her in a hug, for once not seeming like she was trying to break her little sister's ribcage while doing so. Rubbing her sister's back, Yang spoke softly. "Hey, I…" She took a deep breath. "Look, Rubes, you really don't have to apologize. I really was just trying to help-" As Ruby opened her mouth to let off an indignant retort, Yang cut her off once again, this time with a raised finger. "I was, I was trying to help, but I've been looking back on it, and you were definitely right. What I tried to do wasn't fair, and I should have seen that. I'll be entirely honest with you. I still don't like the idea of you going to Atlas, especially two years early. But, if that's what you want to do…" Yang took a deep breath before giving Ruby a shaky smile. "If that's what you want, then I'll support you one hundred percent."

Ruby beamed at her sister, wrapping her in a hug of her own. "Thanks Yang, I really, really appreciate it." Ruby cleared her throat awkwardly, figuring out what to say next. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped like I did." In response, Yang shook her head.

"No, if you hadn't done that, I don't think I would've learned my mistake." Yang laughed, although it still lacked its usual strength. "If you hadn't have snapped I'd probably be going behind your back right now, trying to convince dad to stop you from going to Atlas." Ruby giggled at her sister's comment.

"That does sound like you…" With that, both sisters fell quiet, not knowing what to say next. "So," Ruby started awkwardly, "wanna see what I ended up doing with Crescent Rose?"

"Falling back on the old weapon talk?" Yang went to put her sister in a headlock before pulling back, rubbing her head. "That does sound like you. Let's go." With that, the pair fell into an uncomfortable silence as they walked to the garage.

**AN**: Sorry, I know that the chapter is even shorter than the past few. I'm very sorry about that, especially given how long it's taken for me to get this out. However, with any luck updates should pick up a little bit. Especially with all the new information we've gotten about Atlas in the show, because I'm pretty excited to get writing the actual school segments. :) Hopefully, the plan is as follows. I will attempt to release one chapter every two weeks or so, as I'd intended to when I started writing this. However, once Ruby gets to Atlas, or maybe when she gets her team, I will be taking a short break to go back and edit the other chapters. With any luck, I'll be able to stick to this. I do have a job now, as well as increased school work though, so expect a few delays every now and again.


	5. UPDATE ON THE STORY'S STATUS

Hello to my (admittedly small) reader base. Hopefully you haven't forgotten about this, because I certainly haven't, haha. I've had this fic in my mind ever since the last update, and haven't been able to figure out where to take it. And besides that, I have been very busy lately, and haven't really had enough time to really work on it. HOWEVER, I don't want to abandon it, like I have done with all of my other fics so far. I want to have at least one thing which I can point to, and say "I finished that, and I am proud of it."

As a result, I'm going to be restarting this fic, rewriting the chapters that have already been released, and then plotting out at the very least, a significant chunk of the story, if not all of it. This is going to take some time, but I feel like it'll be worth it. A big problem with most of my fics has been that I just have a cool idea, begin writing, and then have no clue where to go with it. If I want this to succeed, I can't do the same thing here. I'm going to need to have a clear idea of where my story is going, which is honestly new to me.

So, I'm sorry if anyone thought this was an actual chapter update, because it definitely isn't. I just wanted to let you know that I'm working on this again, but it is definitely going to take a long time. But hey, due to current events, I've honestly got nothing _but _time now, so there won't be any problems with that.

Hopefully I can keep my word on this, and put out a story that you guys can enjoy. ^-^


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